Unofficial Portkey Archive

"Good?" Hermione asked.

"Love, to be more precise, now Ms. Granger, you must understand something about this book, no one has ever tried to get it, no one has gone near those caves with the intent to take that book." Dumbledore said.

"What are you saying?" Hermione asked.

"Everything you know about this book, all the tales of the spells inside that book, are just that...tales. We don't know if you will be able to get this book, and we don't know that in order to get this book you may have to..." Dumbledore said trailing off

"Die?" Hermione said.

"Ms. Granger, Hermione, You have given up a lot to the cause already, Mr. Potter's intentions are true, and even if I asked him to not go on this journey, I know he would, but you have already lost your parents," Dumbledore paused, "...if you went home right now, if you left this up to everyone else, I would never let them hold it against you."

Hermione just looked at the old man, "Well, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want to go lie in my bed and cry over my parents, and I wouldn't be human if I said this didn't scare me." Hermione said leaning forward, "But I want to do this, my parents died for me, that woman, whoever she was, was right, I can't let grief take over me, if I do, my parents deaths would have been in vain." Hermione thought, and then added, "And I need to do this for Harry, he and Ron are all that I have left now that my family's gone." Hermione stared down at her hands and sighed, before letting the tears fall silently down her face. Hermione stood up and looked at Dumbledore, "Well I guess I better head out!" she said turning to the door.

"Ms. Granger, family isn't always blood; remember that, we will always be here for you, no matter what." Dumbledore said before walking around to Hermione and placing a hand on her shoulder, "We may not be your real family, but we'll always be here for you." He said pulling open the door to reveal Lavender talking to Harry and Ron.

"So your dad, Sirius and Lupin are all Marauders, and a rat, but he's evil?" Lavender said and then saw Hermione and walked towards her smiling, but her smile faded when she saw the tears on her face, "Hermione, what's wrong?"

"M-my parents were killed last night!" Hermione said before falling into her arms and letting herself cry for her loss. Lavender was shocked by the news, and even more shocked that she was crying in her arms and not Harry or Ron's. Apparently so were they, and they exchanged looks as if asking each other if it was their fault. Hermione pulled away from Lavender wiping her tears and smiled at her, "Oh, don't worry Lavender, they'll be time for pity later, right now we have to go retrieve a book, don't we." She said smiling through her tears, she had to think about something else or else her grief would take over, and she couldn't let that happen. She looked at Lily and Lily nodded.

"To the Whomping Willow, c'mon James, Sirius, Remus, I believed we should find a long stick." Lily said grabbing James' hand and marching down the hall. Lavender helped Hermione walk over to the boys and stopped in front of Harry.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"My parents were killed last night!" she said again, Ron and Harry's eyes both widened in shock.

"Was it Voldemort?" Ron and Lavender winced and Hermione just shrugged and looked at Harry. Lavender started to walk away and Hermione walked with her but Harry grabbed her arm, which she shrugged off.

"I don't want to talk about it Harry!" she said firmly staring at Harry, "I know you feel the need to be my savior, but not this time!"

"No, you don't understand..." Harry started.

"No, you don't understand Harry; I don't need you saving me!" She said harsher than she meant to, she took a deep breath, "Look, Harry, I'm sorry, but I can't do this, not now, if I do, if I start to cry, I won't stop." Hermione said softly, "And we need to get that book!"

Harry sighed, "All right, but you know I'm here, right?" Hermione nodded and turned towards the door pushing it open and stepping out. Harry stared after her.

"You think she's hiding something?" Ron asked from behind.

"No, I don't think she's hiding something," he said reaching down and picking up his bag, "I know it!"

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The group, who had been waiting for the four, waited for Harry and Ron to emerge and then made their way down to the Whomping Willow. After successfully prodding the knot on the tree they made their way down into the passage. Few were talking, and those that were didn't say much. All of the adults had their wands out, lighting the way, and Draco, Ron, Lavender, Hermione and Harry all had their wands at their sides, just in case. Once they got inside the Shrieking Shack they all stood around looking expectantly at James.

"Lavender?" James said turning to the blond-headed girl. Lavender was walking around, surveying the building.

"Does this have a basement?" Lavender asked looking at James.

"Yes, follow me!" Lupin said walking through a corridor. They weaved in and out of rooms until they came to a door that was scratched at and had holes in it. "This door has never been opened, I tried too many times, but it just won't budge!" Lupin said, Lavender didn't seem to be listening and she stepped forward and opened the door. She looked at Lupin and smiled before reaching for her wand and stepping in. The rest of them, surveying their surroundings soon followed lavender. Once they descended the stairs they looked around, it seemed like a normal basement, but they all knew better. Lavender stepped towards the walls and started pawing at them.

"Lav, what are you doing?" Hermione asked, just then she stopped and looked at Hermione. Hermione just stared back; Lavender walked past her and grabbed a piece of scrap metal. Everyone just stared at her as though she had lost her mind, but Hermione suddenly understood, there was something behind that wall. Hermione looked around and quickly grabbing another piece of metal holding it like a bat, then to everyone's surprise she swung at the wall. Lavender made a hole in the wall and just kept hitting it. Hermione just kept hitting the wall also, she knew she was a witch and could use magic, but she needed to let out her frustrations somehow. Finally they had made a hole large enough for one person to fit through at a time. Lavender went first followed by Hermione not long after.

"Lumos!" Lavender whispered and stared in awe at her surroundings. Hermione took a step forward and suddenly fires lit up in various spots. Hermione looked around and there were four openings that obviously led to the Book of Deception, but which one? James stepped towards the center to a block that seemed odd since it was stocking up out of the ground. It had writing on it and it was obviously old, it seemed age was taking its toll.

"Inside this cave are four tasks, all must be completed to get what he asks, if one fails one must face, the consequences that he, himself makes." James read aloud. He laughed and turned towards the others, "Looks like we have our work cut out for us!" he walked back over to his wife's side and looked around, "Sirius and Harry, Hermione and Remus..." James began pointing to the people.

"No, wait," Lily said interrupting, "we should all be with people we trust, I mean, let's face it, James, Hermione and Harry need to be together. You and I should be together, Remus and Sirius, Lavender and Ron, and Draco can go with..."

"Us!" Hermione and Harry said together. Lily smiled and nodded; she stepped towards the caves and examined them. "I think that these caves are particularly designed for each of us..." Lily said taking a step inside one, instantly, as if protected like a force field it threw her back against the cave wall.

"LILY!" James yelled going to her, he looked her over and noticed that she didn't appear to have anything wrong with her. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," she said standing up, "no harm done!" Hermione walked up to the cave and looked at the writings on the walls outside the cave, there was ancient text and three little holes. Hermione walked to the different caves, all having the same writing, and all having two holes, except for the first one that had three.

"Harry, Draco give me your wands!" Hermione said holding out her hands for them. They didn't move, "Just trust me!" she said grabbing their wands and sticking all three of them into the holes in the wall. A bright light flashed and three swords, with sheaths, were now floating in mid air with their wands attached to them. Hermione grabbed all three swords and handed them to their respective owners. "Just put you wands in the holes on the wall and you'll be able to enter." Hermione said to everyone, putting her sword around her waist. They all stepped up to their caves and did as they were told. Three flashes later and they were all ready to go, Sirius stepped forward and started passing out little mirrors to everyone.

"These are two-way mirrors, if for any reason you need to contact one of us, just shout our name into the mirror and we'll be able to talk." Sirius said. Everyone shoved them into their pockets before looking at the other members of their group. When no one moved, Hermione sighed and took step into the cave, immediately she froze.

"Hermione?" Harry asked. Then as if nothing happened Hermione began walking forward, she stopped and looked back at Harry and Draco. "What was that?"

"I don't know, it just like..." Hermione took out her sword and removed her wand from where it was, she pointed it at Harry, "Silencio!" she yelled, then lowered her wand, "Try and talk!"

"What would you do that for?" Harry asked, "I have my voice!"

"It removes your magic!" Hermione said putting her wand back on her sword, and putting it back in the sheath. "Well, come on, it doesn't hurt!" Hermione said standing there. Draco and Harry exchanged looks and stepped in, they froze and a minute later walked through it. "Come on boys, we don't know what we'll face and it would be best if we stuck together!" Hermione started walking into the cave looking around, as if something was going to pop out of the wall. She didn't hear footsteps behind her; she spun to see no one.

"Harry, Draco, where are you?" Hermione yelled, "Great, five seconds and I lost them!"

"Hermione?" she heard someone say, she looked around and came face to face with Harry.

"Harry?" Hermione asked. Then suddenly she saw a hand come across his chest, Cho's head appeared over his shoulder, smirking.

"I always told you, you couldn't please him!" she said laughing, she leaned into kiss Harry, and then let go of Harry and walked towards her. "Hermione, you are powerless against me!" she said grabbing her by the throat and forcing her against the cave wall. "He doesn't love you!" Something inside Hermione went off with these words and she kicked Cho off her.

"He does love me!" Hermione said, unsheathing her sword and putting it through her gut. She faded away into dust. Hermione looked around and saw Harry and Draco staring at her.

"What the hell was that?"

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No one else was having better luck; it seemed that as soon as they entered the cave, one of the people faced something they feared the most. James faced the death of Lily and Harry, Sirius faced dead Harry, and Lavender faced being helpless.

Lavender and Ron were walking along the hallway in silence when Ron suddenly spoke up,

"Lav, can I ask you a question?" Lavender looked at him, and nodded. "Why is your biggest fear being helpless?" Lavender stopped and looked at Ron.

"Ron, there's just a lot of stuff in my past, that when it happened I was helpless to stop it, and I never want to feel that way again." Lavender said continuing to walk.

"Lavender, like what stuff?" Ron asked, Lavender hesitated, "Lavender, if we want this to work, you have to be honest with me."

Lavender looked down to the ground, "Ron, it's no secret that I was always with a lot of guys, and I rubbed it in people's faces as much as possible. Well, one time, I started dating this guy and I didn't know it at the time, but apparently, he had been dating another girl. This girl happened to be someone I didn't like someone I tended to rub my relationships in her face. Well, one time she just had enough. I don't really want to go into detail, but she just forced me to watch something that I didn't want to, and to do things I didn't want to. It was horrible, and since I cannot stand the feeling of being helpless." Lavender shook her head, erasing the memory, "You don't know what it feels like to feel helpless, and you never want to."

"You're right," Ron said, "I could never know what it feels like to be helpless, but you can tell me these things. You shouldn't have to think that you need to face these on your own."

"I know, thank you! You know what Ronald Weasley, I really do love you!" Lavender said.

Ron seemed to be studying her, "I love you, too!" he said before leaning into kiss her.

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"Sirius, can I ask you a question?" Remus asked as they walked along the cave. Sirius looked at him, as if telling him to continue. "Tell me what really happened the night you came back!"

"What do you mean? I told you what happened!" Sirius said looking him in the eye.

Remus smiled, "Sirius, Padfoot, there are no kids around here, so stop trying to be protective." Remus said, "Tell me what happened, tell me who brought you back!"

"Remus, would you just trust me when I tell you, you don't want to know who brought me back." Sirius said turning to face him.

"Was it Dumbledore, was it Voldemort, I mean it had to be a person." Remus said.

Sirius sighed, "Remus if I tell you, you have to promise not to breathe a word of this to anyone!" Sirius said, "No, one, but Dumbledore and myself know, James and Lily don't even know, and most certainly not the person."

"Who is it?" Remus asked.

"It was Hermione!" Sirius said simply.

"Please tell me you know another Hermione!" Remus said, Sirius shook his head. "How could it be Hermione?"

"C'mon Remus, you have to have noticed that Hermione seems to be figuring everything out." Sirius said, "After the incident at Viktor Krum's house she wasn't unconscious as long as we told her she was. She regained consciousness almost immediately, and told them what happened. That night she was released and she went back to her house. She had been researching it for sometime, how to raise the dead. But on every case that she had found the person had come back wrong or not all. Except one case. The case, in which, she found and figured out how to use the spell. She brought us back, James, Lily and I. We altered her memory and put her in a dreamless sleep. We also did memory charms on Draco, and her parents." Sirius finished. "It had to be a secret, if Voldemort had ever found out she knew he would have tortured her for it, and Hermione, as strong a girl she is, probably would have given in. This way they won't know."

"So James and Lily don't know?" Remus asked.

"No, and they didn't ask they were fine with Dumbledore's explanation, they were just happy to be back. So we didn't mention it." Sirius said.

"But Sirius, it was so dangerous, that takes an abnormally large amount of magic." Remus said.

"Hermione's full of surprises, Harry doesn't know it, but that girl possesses a whole lot of magic, and I'm afraid that neither of them will realize until it comes out in anger." Sirius said, "Or pain!"

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